A Golden Anniversary!

West Ham United lifted the FA Cup for the first time in the Club's history 50 years ago today, on Saturday 2 May 1964.

That January, the Hammers embarked on a thrilling run that saw them overcome Charlton Athletic, Leyton Orient, Swindon Town, Burnley, Manchester United and Preston North End to lift the world's most famous trophy.

What made Ron Greenwood's side's success all the more impressive was the fact that the same eleven players - Jim Standen, John Bond, Jack Burkett, Eddie Bovington, Ken Brown, Bobby Moore, Peter Brabrook, Ronnie Boyce, Johnny Byrne, Geoff Hurst and John Sissions - played every minute of each of the seven ties contested.

The free-scoring Hammers scored 19 goals in those seven matches, with Hurst netting seven, Byrne four, Boyce and Sissons three each and Brabrook two.

Following their thrilling 3-2 win over Preston at Wembley Stadium, West Ham returned to the Boleyn Ground for one of the biggest parties east London has ever seen, with an estimated 250,000 fans turning out to enjoy an open-top bus tour.

The scenes of jubilation outside Newham Town Hall were described as being 'like a coronation' by a local police sergeant, before the team paraded down the Barking Road before displaying the trophy at the Boleyn Ground.

Half-a-century on from the Club's second Wembley triumph - 23 years after the Hammers had lifted the Football League War Cup - and West Ham supporters everywhere will never forget the day that Ticker's last-minute header secured FA Cup glory for the Academy of Football.

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A special 100-page commemorative Official Programme will be available at Saturday's Barclays Premier League match versus Tottenham Hotspur, featuring interviews with the legends who fired the Club to their first major trophy, which you can order online here.

The Digital issue of Saturday's Programme will be available to download for just £1.99 from 9am on Saturday, featuring exclusive video interviews with the men who lifted the FA Cup 50 years ago.

Throughout Friday, the Club will be posting images from the 1964 FA Cup run throughout the day on Twitter and Facebook, with a new photo being published every 50 minutes from midnight!